How long have you had Real Event OCD and what has it done to you?

Wondering how long ya'll have had Real Event OCD, since I think this is probably one of the worst types you can have (I'm biased). 1. How long? 2. Have you gone to ERP? 3. What has it done to you and your life? 4. What's helped? for me -- 1. I've had it and tolerated it with no professional therapy for like 7 years (ugghhhh) 2. Have not been to ERP but I'm trying to do more research 3. I feel like it's ruined my brain, my peace of mind, my happiness, negatively affected working, being present, wasted so much time ruminating, less social, etc. So many terrible ripple effects. I feel like it's destroyed my brain health. So many headaches, migraines, feeling "off" all the time, less focus, less everything relative to where I was before. I feel like I'm in Purgatory, stuck in the same loop that never ends, perpetually fkd. It's a daily struggle. 4. I guess learning more about OCD, "delaying" compulsions (but that gets OCD'd too), this site has helped, How about you?

Real Events OCD

Anonymous

Date posted: 14h

1. I had Real Event OCD probably from Fall 2019 through Summer 2023 (still have OCD but the theme switched) 2. Yes! But not because of real event OCD - my theme switched to ROCD that was triggered by my engagement to my now husband (I’m doing way better with that too now that I’m in therapy) 3. All the OCD themes I’ve had have really gotten in the way of me living my life the way I want to. OCD has made me spend soooooo much energy ruminating, trying to answer unanswerable questions, researching every angle of every little detail. It’s contributed to insomnia, procrastination and self-sabotage. Specifically the real event theme has contributed to really intense self-doubt that stops me from even starting on projects that could potentially end in failure. This is because the event I obsessed about was a friendship group falling-out, and I would always imagine my former friends making fun of me behind my back if I failed at something. 4. In 2023, I had a respite from OCD symptoms because I found a medication combo that worked for me (Zoloft and Wellbutrin). That was what initially gave me relief from real event OCD, even though I didn’t know what it was at the time (thought it was anxiety & depression). Unfortunately I had to go off of medication because of the side effects, and soon after that I got engaged and the ROCD flared up. Now that I’m off of medication, the single most helpful thing I’ve learned in ERP for coping with OCD is letting an intrusive thought sit in my head without trying to argue with it, analyze it, push it away or engage with it in any way. You basically just notice the thought, and then resist the urge to figure out whether or not it’s true while paying attention to whatever you actually want to be doing in the moment (work, hobbies, conversations etc). If it’s hard to wrap your head around doing this, you can use a rumination non-engagement response, which is basically responding to an intrusive thought with a statement of uncertainty like “that’s possible” or “that might be true.” That way you can acknowledge the thought instead of pushing it away, but you also accept uncertainty instead of trying to figure out whether it’s true. Hope this helps! I know mental compulsions are super confusing to navigate.

Abuchs

Date posted: 22w

Length of episode - highly distressed please help

Hi, last year I had a trigger with my little cousin that made me spiral. Then that thought lead to another and lead to another thought and another one and so on and I've been feeling stuck (with ups and downs) over a year now. I hit rock bottom in July/August and that lead me to going to the psychiatrist. I am taking meds now, but I still feel bad. It doesn't take as much time of my life anymore but it is constantly back there in my mind. It's the feeling that I'm ignoring and undoubtable truth that soonest or later will come out, or that rejecting, or that I'm resisting. That's why it's been impossible for me to do ERP, because I think it's going to make me want to touch myself and if I do I'll feel bad. And then it feels like I like the thoughts, not only physically (groinals) but mentally??? It's like a brain fog that I can't tag between pleasure or confusion. And that thought leads me to thinking about the alleged "non-offending" ps and if that could be me. And that thought leads me to think OH MY GOD I can't BELIEVE I am a girl in my twenties obsessing over this I can't believe this is my life.

POCD

jc33

Date posted: 12w

real event ocd

just wanted to see if others struggle with real event ocd really kicking their a**. i feel like my mind is a constant battleground of every mistake ive made and they feel so huge and life altering to me that it’s hard to continue going on in their wake. just wondering if anyone else feels this way too.

ocdnomore1

Date posted: 10w

How abou you?

I suffer since 10 - 15 yrs from specific fears. It was years that my OCD constantly wanted to be checked if I have HIV or not. I had a lot of sex and I thought this is normal. But I ruminated in my backhead about and was testing like 5 - 10 times a year. After the test I felt everytime so relieved. In Corona I was addicted to porn and even I lost control and was watching pretty hard stuff. I was chatting with a girl and we fantasized about really disturbing things. I never wanna meet her and for me was sure it's just kinda onlinestuff. I was in a relationship 3 years now. And I lost fear of HIV. But then came Morality OCD, Real Event (this chat) and after some times POCD. This combination was knocking me out, I felt like the badest person on earth. I did everything wrong and searched for relief and reassurance. It put me to the point of suicidal. I never ever hurting somebody, but my brain was making me a monster. I had to quit the relationship because I just couldn't give her what she deserved. I was in a clinic for 3 months. And we tested medication with ERP (before I took escitalopram for years). Anafranil was working first, then too many side-effects. I tried even without meds, but was so depressed. Now on sertralin for 5 weeks, but only 2 weeks on therapeutic dose 200mg. And wow, now I really feel so confused in the brain. I feel like how big my OCD became. The specific thoughts are not anymore, BUT it sticks on EVERYTHING atm. It's delusional how it feels in the brain. I really hope so deep my brain makes finally a reset and I need to wait it out. I could live with OCD for a long time but the last 1-2 yrs it took absolutely everything. I remark that POCD doesn't stick anymore like before but my brain is now constructing a very bad future because of past mistakes (that I all discussed with family, friends for relief over and over and over again). So it's like my OCD is now Real Event (The sexchat) again. Anyone was on the same point in life?

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How long have you had Real Event OCD and what has it done to you?

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